CH:13 The Enlightenment

The Big Idea Enlightenment thinkers built on ideas from earlier movements to emphasize the importance of reason.

CH:13 The Enlightenment I can trace the beginning of the Enlightenment to the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Scientific Revolution, the ancient Greeks and Romans, and Christianity

Main Idea 1: The Enlightenment was also called the Age of Reason. Discoveries made during the Scientific Revolution and on voyages of discovery led to changes in Europe.

The Age of Reason Changes in Europe from the Scientific Revolution led people to use reason to make decisions. The use of reason in guiding people’s thoughts about philosophy, society, and politics defined a time period called the Enlightenment. These new scholars relied on reason or logical thought instead of religious teachings to explain how the world worked. They believed that human reason could be used to achieve three great goals—knowledge, freedom, and happiness.

Main Idea 2: The Enlightenment’s roots can be traced back to earlier ideas Enlightenment thinkers looked back to the Greeks, the Romans, and the history of Christianity.

The Enlightenment’s Roots Enlightenment thinkers used ideas from the ancient Greeks and Romans. Greek philosophers had observed an order and regularity in the natural world. Aristotle, for example, taught that people could use logic to discover new truths. Building on Greek ideas, Roman thinkers developed the concept of natural law, the idea that a law governed how the world operated. With Greek and Roman beliefs as guidelines, Enlightenment thinkers began studying the world in a new way. They applied these beliefs not just to the natural world but also to the human world of society and government.

The Enlightenment’s Roots Enlightenment thinkers disagreed with the church’s claims to authority and its intolerance toward non-Christian beliefs. Thomas Aquinas, had taught in the Middle Ages that faith paired with reason could explain the world. Although it was Indebted to Aquinas, the Enlightenment was mostly a secular, or non-religious, movement.

The Enlightenment’s Roots Renaissance and Reformation ideas also reappeared during the Enlightenment period. Some Renaissance thinkers used Greek and Roman ideas to raise questions about established religious beliefs, and were known as humanists. Renaissance humanists believed people could improve their world by studying it and changing it. Enlightenment scholars questioned church authority. They found that religious beliefs didn’t always fit in with what they learned from their logical study of the world.

The Enlightenment’s Roots The Scientific Revolution also influenced Enlightenment thinkers. Using scientific methods of study, scientists discovered laws that governed the natural world. Enlightenment thinkers took the idea of natural laws one step further. They believed that natural laws must also govern human society and government.

Main Idea 3: New ideas came mainly from French and British thinkers. Enlightenment thinkers borrowed ideas from history to develop a new worldview. They believed the use of reason could improve society. To achieve this progress, they had to share their ideas with others.

The Spread of New Ideas French Enlightenment thinkers spread their ideas through their writings. They made efforts to share their writings with the public.

The Spread of New Ideas British men and women also began to publish their writings. Some women writers believed that women should have the same rights as men. British writer Adam Smith believed economics was governed by natural laws. He argued that governments should not try to control the economy and that economic growth came when individuals were free to make their own choices.